I got one of these halogen spots recently from Optronics and have had a chance to try it out underground. It's similar to the usual portable handhelds, but this one lets you swap a new battery in and out without having to take the entire thing apart. Up until this point I've carrying around two spots which was always kind of annoying. With this one I can bring one and pack a few extra batteries. I don't save that much on weight but it does free up a lot of extra space in my pack. It's also nice to know I can pack over an hour's worth of light with me if I wanted to.

It lasts about twenty minutes which is no better or worse than most of the other lights that fall into this category.

It also has overcharge protection which cheaper models tend to lack. One hour charge time in the car is also a nice feature, though I'll believe it when I see it.

Things I don't like: the reflector could do a better of job of dispersing the light. Right now it's a bit too tight so I might try and replace it with one from my other light. The ergonomics of the handle could be a bit better. It feels a bit awkward in the hand. I also didn't like how the thick metal loop for the strap almost came free from the housing the first half hour after walking around with it. Not cool!

I paid $35 USD + far too much money for shipping and duty fees into Canada.

http://www.marinee...ory.php?in=2771001

Not sure if it's been discussed, but I diffused my spotlights by cutting a circle from the plastic sheets of diffuser they put over fluro office lights. It's covered in thousands of tiny plastic pyramids.

If the front ring over your spottie is rubber, then it'll hold the plastic diffuser in nicely, and comes off quickly for longer range painting.

micro, did you use this in anything you've posted recently? Is it the same tungsten-ish light temperature as the Garrity spots?

Yeah, it's the exact same bulb and wattage as the Garrity. Only difference is in how the light's getting thrown. This one probably gets more distance, but at the price of having a more noticeable hotspot.

Here's a good side-by-side comparison of the two lights that were kept on for the same length of time. I'm on the right, just in case it wasn't obvious.





Dsankt: Thanks, I'll give that (or the wax paper trick) a try.

That's actually almost better, so long as you can keep the centre hot spot out of the frame. I always hated the 'ring' hot spot the Garrity leaves right at the outside edges of the range.

The fluorescent light diffuser that dsankt suggested didn't work out too well for me. It definitely diffused the light, but I guess the specific type I used cast a nasty hot ring.. it made the light look like it was coming through a bee hive. It was also very fragile, so cutting it was a pain in the ass.

So, I tried the wax paper.. it's definitely the best I've found so far.


(Please ignore my UK-inspired consumerist ways that forced me at gun point to buy a BD Sidewinder)

The wax paper is taped on with hockey tape. It works great, however.. wax paper apparently despises water.. hence you see tearing around the edges where it was splashed with water on various adventures. I keep tape and a roll of wax paper in my trunk, and spend 5 minutes re-doing my lights time to time.

The light is pretty soft, and never gets hotspots.. but my light doesn't carry the same power as a Garrity (it's a bit less, but lasts about an hour after a 24 hour charge).. it's bulky and awkward, so I keep it slinged around me.

Posted by dsankt Not sure if it's been discussed, but I diffused my spotlights by cutting a circle from the plastic sheets of diffuser they put over fluro office lights. It's covered in thousands of tiny plastic pyramids. If the front ring over your spottie is rubber, then it'll hold the plastic diffuser in nicely, and comes off quickly for longer range painting.

how did you cut it without cracking it. I've had this idea before but never bothered for that reason.

Posted by Air 33 how did you cut it without cracking it. I've had this idea before but never bothered for that reason.

I wondered the same thing. Maybe using a saw, rather than something scissor-y? Perhaps that stuff's not as brittle as it looks?

The wax paper is a cool idea and it appears to work well. I bet a piece of opaque shower curtain would work really well too.

For cutting the plastic fluroscent diffusers I'd try a dremel tool or maybe a boxcutter.

Posted by rob666 For cutting the plastic fluroscent diffusers I'd try a dremel tool or maybe a boxcutter.

Dremel tool FTW. I've cut through the fluorescent stuff with one before when the old we had in the kitchen cracked. Not only was a cutting wheel very effective at cutting the new one down to size, it served quite well for cutting down the bumper on the front of my car to accommodate my fog lights.

Posted by Swiffer Dremel tool FTW. I've cut through the fluorescent stuff with one before when the old we had in the kitchen cracked. Not only was a cutting wheel very effective at cutting the new one down to size, it served quite well for cutting down the bumper on the front of my car to accommodate my fog lights.

yeah the box cutter didn't work, and the wax paper doesn't have any permanence, so I will try this. I have a jobmate dremel I bought at...my most favorite place crappy tire. Hopefully the $6 was worth it.

bryan, where did you find the BD bag? I looked everywhere and they were $120 with shipping from the US. I got a MEC $39 special, but I still lust for one.

I'm going to be taking apart some traffic light units. Anybody want some diffuser panels? Beamshots to come.

Posted by AnAppleSnail I'm going to be taking apart some traffic light units. Anybody want some diffuser panels? Beamshots to come.

Interesting!

Posted by metawaffle Interesting!

The red ones are easy to strip out. The clear diffusers are REALLY hard to peel out without breaking them

I think a good alternative to wax paper would be parchment paper it probably doesn't hold up any better if it gets wet but it would probably resist heat a lot better.

I think Trent suggested that press and seal stuff by Glad. I've used it ever since....try it, you won't be disappointed.

Posted by Air 33 I think Trent suggested that press and seal stuff by Glad. I've used it ever since....try it, you won't be disappointed.

Do you have a link to it? I'm after something to diffuse the TK30 and/or the Masterpiece, but it really needs to be removable.

You probably have this in the ziplock/foil section in your supermarket.

http://www.glad.co...rap/pressnseal.php

Leaves a little residue but it can be removed and well it REALLY sticks.

Posted by Air 33 You probably have this in the ziplock/foil section in your supermarket. http://www.glad.co...rap/pressnseal.php Leaves a little residue but it can be removed and well it REALLY sticks.

Hmm, that looks most promising. I can live with a bit of residue - it'll probably just be stuck to the bezel anyway, given that these are only two or three inches across, unlike spotlights.

There's a supermarket next to work - I'm going to pop over now and see if the have it in stock.

Alas, while they had ten thousand other Glad products, they didn't have that one.